The Festival of the Chariot Journey
This Hindu festival, observed on the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha, celebrates the annual visit of Jagannatha to his birth place.
Jagannatha Rath Yatra or the `chariot journey of Lord Jagannatha`, observed on the second day of the bright fortnight of the month of Ashadha, is a festival that celebrates the annual visit of the god to his place of birth. The famous Jagannatha Temple at Puri, Orissa is the venue for all celebrations. This event is celebrated with devotion and respect by all those who reside in Puri and others, who come to participate. Several lakh people converge at Puri every year to witness this event.
On the morning of the second day of Ashadha, images of the presiding deities of the temple, Jagannatha, his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra, are taken in a chariot to Gundicha Ghar. This is believed to be the birthplace of Jagannatha. On the way, they stop to meet their aunt, who feeds them with padoapitha, or specially baked rice cakes. After a while, they continue their journey to Gundicha Ghar. They stay there for a week and then return to the temple. On the journey there and back, they are accompaniedby a huge procession of people, singingand celebrating. As with royal processions in days gone by, the people rejoice at having a special persona in their midst.
The festival has been celebrated since ancient times, finding mention in the Puranas. According to a legend about its origin, Jagannatha is said to have expressed his desire to visit his birthplace of Gundicha Ghar once every year for a week. Accordingly, the deities are taken to the Gundicha Mandir every year. According to another legend, Subhadra wanted to visit Dwarka, her parent`s home, and her brothers Jagannatha and Balabhadra took her there on this day. The Ratha Yatra is said to be a commemoration of that visit. According to a legend in the Bhagavad Purana, Kansa sent his messenger to Gokul to ask Krishna to visit Mathura and participate in the great wrestling championship. It is believed that it was on this day that Krishna and Balarama went to Mathura to participate in the competition.
The Hindus believe that Jagannatha is a form of Krishna and therefore, an incarnation of Vishnu. Since Vishnu has four arms, the images of Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana are placed along with Jagannatha to represent Vishnu`s four arms.
Each deity has its own massive chariot, which are replicas of the temple. They are made of neem(Azidirachta indica) wood. Jagannatha`s chariot is called Nandighosha, is yellow in colour, 45 ft high, 35 ft square, and has 16 wheels, of which each one has a seven-foot diametre. The chariot is drawn by about 4,200 devotees. Balabhadra`s chariot is called Taladhvaja, is blue in colour and has 14 wheels. Subhadra`s chariot is the smallest, with 12 wheels and is called Deviratha.
The origin of the chariot ride is somewhat obscure. According to alegend in the Puranas, when Krishna was killed by the poisonous arrow of Jaras, his body was left under a tree. Later it was found by a pious person who cremated the bones and placed the ashes in a box. Directed by Vishnu,Indra dyumna requested the divine artisan Vishvakarma to mould an image from the holy relics. Vishvakarma agreed to undertake the task on condition that he was left undisturbed tillits completion. When several years passed without any news from Vishvakarma about the holy idol, Indradyumna became impatient and went to see how his work was progressing. Enraged at this disturbance, the artisan left the image incomplete - with a head and body but no hands or feet. In the meanwhile, Indradyumna had ordered the construction of the temple which was to house the statue. So he ordered his chariot to transport the statue, as it was, to the temple. Once there, Brahma came to the aid of the king and breathed life into the image. He also presided as the chief priest at the consecration. Later myths pertaining to Jagannatha made it obligatory for the statue to be carried once a year to the original birthplace. Since his first journey was by chariot, this became part of the tradition. There is a certain Buddhist association with this story, for till today, the relics of the Buddha in Myanmar and Sri Lanka are carried through the streets once a year in achariot.
Thousands of pilgrims from all over India bear witness to this event and participate in pulling the chariots to their summer sojourn. It is believed that all who pull the rope of the chariot of Jagannatha and his brother and sister will go to heaven. According to another ancient belief, anyone who dies under the massive wheels of the chariot will attain salvation. Hence in the past, many devotees, wanting to attain salvation, flung themselves under the wheels. The practise has now been banned and the state and law enforcement take huge precautions to prevent anyone from doing this. Devotees now content themselves by simply pulling at the rope attached to the chariot.
On this auspicious day, devotees hurl obscenities and profane abuses at the god. Locals believe that there existed an incestuous relationship between Jagannatha and his sister Subhadra, which provoked abuses when the images were out in public. Hurling obscenities at the statue appears to be an old practice, observed for years. The entire Jagannatha RathYatra is a symbolic humanisation of god. All the rituals associated with this festival demonstrate an attempt to bring the god down from his pedestal of glory to a more human level. This ritual is believed to be part of that attempt.
On the day of the journey, people get up early in the morning and after bathing, offer prayers to Jagannatha. The three chariots are kept ready, lined in front of the Puri temple. The deities are then brought to their respective chariots by the King of Puri with great pomp and ceremony. Devotees then climb onto the chariots to offer prayer sand take the blessings of the deities.
Descendants of the King of Puri, heralded by gaily-caparisoned elephants then sweep the chariot platforms with a gold-handled broom and sprinkle scented water to demonstrate that in the eyes of god, kings are no different from the lowliest of men.
Only the King of Puri and the King of Nepal are allowed to enter the temple and touch the idol as they belong to the Chandravanshi dynasty, the same dynasty as Krishna.
Then comes the most important moment. The teeming pilgrims line up holding the ropes and pull the chariot with all their might. Everyone`s sole aim is to have the supreme privilege of helping the chariots on their journey.This is believed to absolve them of all their sins. When the chariots reach the summer house, prayers are offered. The idols of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are installed in their respective places. With this, the festivities come to a close. The week passes quietly, with only a few local people offering prayers to the deities. The journey back consists of another ritual, observed on a much smaller scale, known as Phera Rath Yatra.
Every year, the great chariots are broken down and its wood is sold as relics. A replica is made on exactly the same pattern the next year. However the images of the deities are preserved. It is only in a year in which two Ashadha months occur one after the other that the images are changed. This usually happens once in 12 or 24 years. The ceremony, called Naba Kalebar, consists of burying the old image sinside the temple. Then new images are created from the wood of the lime(Citrus acida) tree.
This practice of replacing the idols stems from the belief that in such a year, everything in the universe changes shape and form, and therefore Jagannatha receives the same treatment. The year 1996 was the mostrecent year of Naba Kalebar, and the one before that was 1974.
In the evening, people dress in new clothes and go visiting. Shops and houses are decorated with flowers and lights, and traditionally with rangoli. Special dishes and sweets are made on this day. Fried papad is usually eaten in every home. Pakoras are also popular favourites. Most people refrain from eating non-vegetarian food. Khichiri and papad are most widely eaten.
Being of utmost importance, specially to the people of Orissa, this day is a public holiday in the state. Children are seen on the streets carrying miniature versions of the chariots with tiny idols installed on them. Sweet vendors have a good day, for their sales increase tremendously. As this chariot festival falls during the monsoon season, people also thank the gods for their mercy and bounty, by participating in the procession.
The special significance of the Ratha Yatra is that god comes out from behind the curtains of rituals to move amongst ordinary people and offer redemption. Nowhere else is a deity, once consecrated, taken out of the temple. The only exception is when a temple requires some repair work. However, even then, the idols are removed following the strictest of guidelines. The Jagannatha Temple at Puri is the sole exception to this general rule. In fact during the RathaYatra, the chariots become mobile temples, which sanctify the city.